Terror gang members to walk after six years following sentence reduction

Members of a terror gang that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange could
walk free in less than six years after they were given double the normal
reduction in sentence for entering guilty pleas yesterday.

Four al-Qaeda inspired terrorists have pleaded guilty to plotting a Christmas bomb attack on the London Stock ExchangePhoto: BLOOMBERG

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Boris JohnsonPhoto: PA

5:57PM GMT 09 Feb 2012

A judge discounted their sentences by a fifth instead of the normal ten per cent for admitting guilt at the start of a trial because their serious offences meant they faced long prison terms

There was outrage from MPs last week after the court iindicated sentences for some of the members of the al Qaeda-inspired gang, which also plotted to target the Mayor of London and build terror training camps, would be less than six years.

And yesterday the judge said he had cut a fifth off planned sentences for the nine-strong group because their guilty pleas had “exposed them to a lengthy prison sentence” and saved the taxpayer a five-month trial.

One of the men, Mohammed Chowdhury, 22, from east London, was described as a “linchpin” in bringing the gang together but will be back on the streets by 2018 after being handed a sentence to 13 years and eight months.

He will only serve half and has already spent more than a year on remand.

He and three others plotted to plant a pipe bomb in the lavatories of the London Stock Exchange and a handwritten target list found at Chowdhury's home also listed the names and addresses of London Mayor Boris Johnson, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, two rabbis and the American Embassy in London.

Chowdhury also spoke about carrying out a "Mumbai-style" attack at the Houses of Parliament or the London Eye, the court heard.

Abdul Miah, 25, from Cardiff, was jailed for 16 years and 10 months, Gurukanth Desai, 30, from Cardiff, and Shah Rahman, 28, from east London, were jailed for 12 years.

All four received extended sentences, meaning they will have to spend an extra five years on licence after they are freed from prison.

The judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, said the more serious offenders were three Islamist extremists who planned to raise funds for the camp in Pakistan and recruit Britons to attend it.

Mohammed Shahjahan 27, was jailed for a minimum term of eight years and 10 months, while fellow Stoke-on-Trent-based radicals Usman Khan, 20, and Nazam Hussain, 26, were ordered to serve at least eight years behind bars.

They were handed indeterminate sentences for public protection meaning they can only be released after serving their minimum terms if the Parole Board agrees.

The court heard that the trio planned to establish the terrorist camp on land in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir owned by Khan's family and encourage a "significant" number of British Muslims to undergo training there.

Passing sentence, the judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, said this was a "serious, long-term venture in terrorism" that could also have resulted in atrocities in Britain.

The Stoke extremists also talked about setting off pipe bombs in the lavatories of pubs in their home town, the court heard.

The judge said they were "more serious jihadists" than their fellow defendants and observed that father-of-two Shahjahan was regarded as the "emir", or leader, of the whole group.

Omar Latif, 28, from Cardiff, was jailed for 10 years and four months, with an extended period on licence of another five years, for attending meetings with the intention of assisting others to prepare or commit acts of terrorism.

Mohibur Rahman, 27, from Stoke-on-Trent, received a five-year prison sentence for possessing two copies of the online al-Qaida magazine Inspire for terrorist purposes.